For Release:          Immediate – December 8, 2015

Contact:                 Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations ­

(518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunypoly.edu

SUNY Poly Students Demonstrate the Spirit of the Season and Raise Money for 2 Mohawk Valley Families in Need

Nurse Practitioner students raise hundreds of dollars to provide gifts for at-risk children

Utica, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) today announced that senior students in its Nurse Practitioner program have successfully completed fund raising efforts to benefit the Adopt a Family Program at Kids Oneida. The students, who wanted to do something for the community for the holiday season, raised $700 to help 2 families afford gifts and other necessities for their children. A presentation of the gifts purchased with that money has been scheduled for Wednesday, December 9 at 1:45 pm at SUNY Poly Utica.

“The dedication these students have displayed is a wonderful example of our students’ sense of community. This is a truly heartwarming story of goodwill and is a testament to the social responsibility training our Nursing students receive from faculty members such as department chair Dr. Louise Dean-Kelly and program coordinator Dr. Jennifer Klimek-Yingling,” said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, President and CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute. “We are extremely proud of our students and the assistance they are providing to area families.”

“The initiative and compassion shown by the students in our nursing program to reach out and help these families in a time of need is a wonderful example of the caliber of the entire SUNY Poly community,” said Dr. Louise Dean-Kelly, Chair of the Department of Nursing and Health Professions. “The drive our students have for helping their fellow human beings is the type of intangible quality one can’t assess through a test score, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

“The students in our Nurse Practitioner program saw a need within our community, and seized the opportunity to lend a hand. Their dedication and commitment is an inspiration to all of us,” said Dr. Jennifer Klimek-Yingling, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Nurse Practitioner Program Coordinator. “They truly exhibit the spirit and enterprising nature that makes a difference in the lives of others and assures us we are in good hands with the caretakers and healthcare providers of tomorrow.”

More than $700 was raised through monetary donations by the SUNY Poly Nurse Practitioner students, which was enough to not only purchase gifts for their adopted family through Kids Oneida, but to also assist another local family in need whose father died unexpectedly last Fall, leaving behind two children. The money raised was used to shop from a wish list, provided by the family, for items each child needs or wants. The gifts were then wrapped and tagged with the names of the children.

“When the seniors in the Nurse Practitioner program first decided to do something charitable for the holiday season, I thought at-risk children would be a great population to support, especially since this semester we have a pediatric rotation and have cared for at-risk children,” said Marian Thompson, the SUNY Poly Nurse Practitioner student leading the volunteer effort. “I presented the idea to our class and the decision was unanimous. Our Kids Oneida Family has six children, ages 2-17 and their wish lists contained six items apiece. I’m proud to say that our class was able to purchase every item on the list for each child.”

“We greatly appreciate the support given by the SUNY POLY Nursing Program to the Kids Oneida Adopt A Family Program this year. Through their generosity, a local family with six children will be provided with a joyous holiday season,” said Brandi Candido, Adopt a Family Chair. “The Nursing Program's enthusiasm and compassion is contagious and it is inspiring to see local students supporting local children. It is with the generous support from area groups like SUNY POLY Nursing that Kids Oneida hopes to provide gifts for over 550 children this year.”

Kids Oneida is a not for profit organization that works with at risk youth and their families to keep them from out of home placements. The Adopt a Family program was started at Kids Oneida in 2001 as a way to provide some holiday cheer for the children and families they serve, matching donors with families in need. Donors can shop for the gifts or make a monetary donation and the Kids Oneida staff will do the shopping. All gifts stay right in the Mohawk Valley, supporting local children and families who need that little bit of extra help to make their holiday brighter.

The Nursing Practitioner students will present the gifts to the Kids Oneida Organization at a ceremony on Wednesday, December 9 at 1:45pm in the Student Center Multipurpose Room at SUNY Poly in Utica.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $43 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 4,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) in Troy, the Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua, and the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester where SUNY Poly also leads the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) at its Utica location and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.